The internet is a funny place.  It allows you to meet people, and through them, meet other people.  I met Michael Jordan through Shaun King.  I believe he now leads the widows “care group” at Courageous Church.  He has an amazing heart, and has written a bit about widows below.   Take some time to really read this.

Jesus said to take care of them, but most of His followers, I think, tend to think it’s someone else’s job. As a rule, we don’t even think they exist. Widows are largely out of sight, and we’ve empowered women to take  care of themselves so it’s not PC to try and help. And orphans are hidden away in orphanages or in foster care. But I wanna talk about widows. Who are they? What is our responsibility?

A careful look around my city reveals a couple of different kinds of widows. First, there are the traditional, elderly ladies, whose husbands have died. I’m from a small town, and there, they are everywhere. Usually they are looked after by their adult children or by a group of church ladies. I think this is what Jesus had in mind. I know a young father who spends time regularly just eating meals with the widows in his neighborhood, giving them access to his young daughter. What  a gift; they get a free granddaughter and she gets many grandmothers. Nothing better!

Then, there are the less visible or recognizable widows. With large numbers of immigrants in our midst, and with an aggressive deportation policy by our government, they are being left behind here without jobs and with children in larger and larger numbers. Inhumane immigration policies like those recently put in place in Arizona and Georgia give immigrants little recourse when they find themselves in situations where they have need. Even when crimes are being committed against them, they are powerless. No matter what government policy is, though, our allegiance is to our Creator, and His call is to care and to take care.

Two other groups of women who deserve our care are those made widows by one of the three wars we are in currently, and those made so by men who walk out of marriages to avoid responsibility.

What do we owe these women? Basic needs. Companionship. Caring. All the things we have come to look to the government to do for those who can’t do for themselves. Where I grew up, there is the concept of treating all women they they were your mama. This assumes that you treat your mama right. Let’s get to it.

http://jeverettphoto.wordpress.com/widows-in-america/

It was the best of times.  It was the end of times…. wait, that’s not how it goes…

If the rest of the country is anything like Georgia, (heh) then you’ve seen signs all over telling you that Judgement Day is happening this Saturday.  It’s easy to point and laugh, because, well, doesn’t the Bible teach us that no man will know the day?  AsI’ve stated in previous posts, I can’t pretend to know everything the Bible is saying.  I know it says that, but I don’t know the context, the surrounding words, and what God meant when he said somehting about recieving power in the Holy Spirit and me being his witness.  I don’t know. 

Is it scary to think about, “What if he’s right?”  Well… Yeah!  Of course it’s scary. 

Here’s my thoughts. 

God and Jesus are peculiar.  Let’s be real for a minute.  When Jesus was here, in human form, things were weird.  The kings were scared he was going to overthrow them, and I’m fairly certain the disciples thought there was going to be a revolution.  I think most people were expecting a holy king to take the throne, and reign over all of us forever.  In a worldly sense. 

Here’s what people were not expecting. 

A humble servent to come to earth, literally on the run from day one.  A man to seek the marginalized, poor, sick, downtrodden.  A man to defy everything we saw as holy.  A man to ride to town on a donkey, pull a coin from a fish’s mouth, spit in mud to heal the blind, wash people’s feet, draw in the sand, stand up for sinners, and die on a cross. 

So.  Like I said, I don’t know what judgement day is ’supposed’ to look like, but I do know that we’ll all probably be really surprised.  Whether it’s Saturday, in January, or in 2134, I think we will probably be surprised when it happens. 

Until then, I’m going to continue to do what I *try* to do.  I’m going to try and love people, and love God.  I’m going to try to correct my foolish ways, and be a good steward and a great example to my family.  When I fall, I’m going to stand up and keep going.  And I think everyone should do the same.  Period.  Because no matter what you believe about when judgement day will happen, when you think about it, it makes all this other stuff seem silly.  The arguements, the political differences, all of that…. It is just silly.  It’s time for me to (Re:) Focus.  (I’m fairly certain “Re” is trademarked by the relevent church in America, but I’m borrowing it for this post.. hehe.)

If that title’s not begging for readers, I don’t know what is.  But here’s the thing.  I’ve got a lot to say. 

I read Rob Bell’s “Love Wins”.  You can read some of my thoughts on that here.  Honestly, I’m still not 100% sure what I think about it, but it did make me 100% certain of one thing.  I do not know what I stand for. I do not have a formed ‘theology’, and I do not have very strong opinions on a lot of things. 

In the wake of Bin Laden’s death, I’ve been confronted with several what-if scenarios, some logical, some not-so-much, and I have been really challenged to think about how I would react to certain situations or circumstances.  I have been confronted by feelings that have come into my mind that I can’t fully explain. 

Here’s what I’ve learned from the items above about “American Christianity”:

American Christians adore a god with defined dos and don’ts.  We like a list. 

Don’t:

• kill*
• be gay
• listen to Metalica  
• watch Harry Potter
• think that God would give a 3rd chance

*sometimes killing is ok. Please read the Dos seciton to fully understand*

Do:

• Donate to charity
• Support Wars
• Support the Death of Terrorist
• Give 10% to your local church
• Read your Bible
• forgive…. When it’s justifiable.
• protect your family, by any means necessary

Here’s my problem.  We can justify God being happy about Bin Laden, because it was justice being served.  Which… is exactly what extremist muslims across the world were screaming when the towers fell.  It sounds to me like a lot of American Christianity is desiring a War God. A vengeful God, who kills for us, and fights for us, and forgives us, but doesn’t forgive them, who accepts us as we are, but kills them, as they are.  I don’t know how to justify that, or even believe in that God. 

So, I’m no scholar.  I have a lot of learning to do, but here is one thing I can say.  Given every chance to respond in violence. Every chance to turn on God, and sin in his body.  Every chance to use His power for worldly advancement. Every opportunity to wage a war, and lead a violent revolution.  Jesus did not.  Instead, He:

• healed
• fed
• loved
• taught
• touched
• forgave
• invited
• died
• resurrected

The new covenent.  The new way of God.  The new Bread of Life, is Jesus Christ.  A man who, when given a chance, on this Earth, to be OF this Earth would not.  And my challenge, ney. My calling, is to do just that.  So, when you give me a scenario, and when I reply, and when you question why I am the way that I am. 

That is why.

I’ve been doing a lot of reading/praying/thinking/talking lately.

The idea of politics mixed with religion has been a hard one for me to break.  I’ve felt, for most of my adult life I’ve had to pick a side.  I have to have an opinion.  If I don’t vote, I’m part of the problem, if I vote wrong, I’m ignorant or uneducated, and it’s my number 1 duty to protect this country, uphold it’s values, and sacrifice anything I can to make sure that nothing bad happens to it.

I have felt like I need to pick left or right.  Pro-war or anti war.  Pro-choice or pro-life.  Obama or Bush. Oil or alternative energy.  Bigger government or smaller government. Immigrant reform or immigrant deportation.

I cannot pick.  I cannot bring myself to divide my thoughts by such an intolerable inconsistent line.  I think that we, all too often, put our faith in our country and citizenship when I think, more than that, I should be focusing on my citizenship in Heaven. (Phil 3:20)  According to Paul, we should be alien to this planet.  We should be so different that people don’t recognize us.  We should be a light in the darkness.

Instead of conforming to a political party, instead of joining the masses, instead of choosing a party, be the light.

I think it’s time for someone to stand up and say that war is just as big a catastrophe as an abortion.  Time for someone to step forward and say you love the Muslim, Mexican and homosexual, despite what the politics in our country have raised you to think.  Despite what you think they believe about you, and despite what you’ve been told about them.

All too often I’ve found myself captivated by the political climate, and putting every ounce of trust and faith into the next bill to pass (or not pass).  The next deployment to keep me safe.  The next election.  From here on out, I plan to listen to Jesus and be very careful to not put my faith, trust, safety, or heart in a world that I am alien to.  I plan to be so alien that people don’t recognize me, and wonder what’s different about me, so I can answer..

The love of Jesus surrounds me with light, in a world that is only darkness.

It’s coming up on Easter.  Andrea and I are talking more often and her heart seems to be softening a little bit.  Her fear of commitment is still there, and honestly my hunger for commitment is to cover up deeper seeded scars I’m afraid to confront.

One night I’m laying in bed, and I felt something overcome me.   Out of no where, I started to feel weak, broken, worthless.  I was Asking Andrea about her God, and she talked to me about Him.  Not the, “Accept or Perish” I was so used to hearing, but the relational side of Christ.

I broke down.  I said something to the affect that God could never love me, I’m worthless.  I’ve done things that can never been forgiven.  I’ve seen things that should never be seen. I was pretty much convinced I was going to hell.

Andrea quickly replied by telling me about the disciples, and what they had done before they met Christ.  I was in awe.  I couldn’t believe it!

The next day she invited me to her Wednesday night service.  I believe this was Ash Wednesday. Chris Seay was the guest speaker.  It was amazing.  It was actually really awesome.  It hit my heart pretty hard.  Of course, Sunday I was invited to Easter service and I went.  I was nervous about meeting Andrea’s family.  We went out to lunch afterwards and her family was really nice.  I felt at home.

about a week later, I accepted Christ in to my heart.

Andrea and I were still just ‘friends’, but I could feel we were growing closer.  We spent more time together, and I was starting to learn her heart, know her thoughts.  I was starting to love her with all of my heart.

I don’t know if she will admit it today, but I think she was falling for me too.

To be continued…..